View Full Version : Newbie from New zealand
Good day to all.
Got myself a Nissan mistral 1996 114k on clock, two weeks ago. It goes well but a couple of small "niggles".
Two days after purchase the alternator packed up, new diode plate and new rotor $280 later its going again.
Heat gauge runs quite hot 3/4 but not overheating, flushed the radiator and checked for leaks. temp comes down when idling for a couple of minutes. No bubles in the water and oil isnt coloured white so i assume the head gasket is OK. I am not a mechanic, but no slouch around the toolbox. On the thermostat housing there are three sensors one is broken off but i have no idea why there are so many.
Theory about the high running temp is the big spotlights on bullbar might be obstructing airflow.
Sunroof seems to leak aswell a lot of water in footwell and also the hoodlining above the pillar on drivers side.
your input will be apreciated
Thank you
Good day to all.
Got myself a Nissan mistral 1996 114k on clock, two weeks ago. It goes well but a couple of small "niggles".
Two days after purchase the alternator packed up, new diode plate and new rotor $280 later its going again.
Heat gauge runs quite hot 3/4 but not overheating, flushed the radiator and checked for leaks. temp comes down when idling for a couple of minutes. No bubles in the water and oil isnt coloured white so i assume the head gasket is OK. I am not a mechanic, but no slouch around the toolbox. On the thermostat housing there are three sensors one is broken off but i have no idea why there are so many.
Theory about the high running temp is the big spotlights on bullbar might be obstructing airflow.
Sunroof seems to leak aswell a lot of water in footwell and also the hoodlining above the pillar on drivers side.
your input will be apreciated
Thank you
welcome :thumb2 ,.. check the expansion tank with a torch for little bubbles , check thermostat housing for leaks , check viscous fan is operating ok , check radiator isnt blocked /holed ..... few things to be going on with for now :naughty
On the thermostat housing there are three sensors one is broken off but i have no idea why there are so many.
Hi and welcome to the club, My Maverick (Terrano in disguise) also has 3 temperature sensors so I assume the Mistral will be the same.
Temperature sensors.
The one at the front is called EGR and links into the control unit.
The middle one is for the temperature gauge in the cab.
The one at the back is for the Glow plug timer, if the engine is warm, the glow plugs don't come on for so long.
Hope this helps.
Regarding the other issues there are many topics in the forum.
Best regards, Rustic
jims-terrano
16-09-2011, 13:50
Welcome aboard:thumbs
Checks as above for cooling system but might also be worth changing thermostat as this may be sticking. These motors are known for running cool.
As for the leak from sunrrof. Open the two front doors and look below the bottom hinge behind the wing. This crevis gets filled with muck so give it a good hose out as the sunroof drains in these areas.
Open sunroof all the way to reveal the drain holes. I used thick strimmer (bush cutter) cord and pushed down the drains until they appear under the front wheel arch. Get a jug of water and gently pour down the holes to ensure water drains away. It's also possible you may have to release head lining to gain access to check the plastic hoses are connected to the drains too.
After doing all this my leak turned out to be the rubber seal around the glass it's self. I got some black automotive sealer and lifted the edge of the seal and ran a bead of sealer around the rubber.
Jim
The water pumps on these eventually go, and sometimes the viscous fan which is attached, fails to engage when it is hot, so doesn't cool the radiator.
There was a good thread on this aspect recently.
What coolant do you have in, as in the UK we use antifreeze all year round, and this has a higher boiling point too. ?
Best regards, Rustic
After a good drive back from the beach tonight (no fish were harmed in this exersise cos I didn't catch anything not even a bloody bite)
I opend the hood and had a look into the reservoir for bubble's. NOTHING :thumb2.
I removed the radiator cap and expected the contents to be under pressure but nothing it just came off without any problem.
The hose from the thermostat side was hot but not exsessive.
The hose coming from the bottom of the radiator was quite cool.
During all this the temp meter was still showing 3/4 on the hot side.
now i am BAFFLED.
Please oh wise one's part with your wisdom.
is your viscous fan working ? ..... wires to temp sensor on bottom rad hose damaged ? , try cleaning the sensor plug too , another few ideas for now to keep you busy lol
solarman216
17-09-2011, 21:16
The hose from the thermostat side was hot but not exsessive.
The hose coming from the bottom of the radiator was quite cool.
During all this the temp meter was still showing 3/4 on the hot side.
now i am BAFFLED.
Please oh wise one's part with your wisdom.
sounds to me like your gauge is just reading high, probably the sender unit, Rick
the fins on the water pump can erode away and the not cool effectively
May well be worth a check.
ps do u know where the gearbox(transmission control module is )
paulp
Find a way of accuratly measuring the water temperature, some multi meters have a thermocouple input and this will tell you if there is a problem.
Some thermostats are 88 degree C, so the area around the thermostat should never be much above this.
It doesn't sound as though you have a problem.
As said earlier, it could be a faulty sender.
Cheap enough to replace...
On the TD it is the middle one of the 3.
Dynamics
17-09-2011, 23:30
Hello and welcome.
welcome aboard, very friendly lot here with loads of helpfull advice
Sunroof leak has been solved. Pipe that conncts to drain pulled off and the water ran directly onto hoodlining. Pulled it all apart, connected the pipe back and tied it in place.
Thank you for all your advice so far.
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